Gunze Co., Ltd.
The lightest environmentally friendly shrink film “GEOPLAS (R) HCX1 type” is now on sale!
Achieving new environmental impact reduction and ease of use of shrink film ……
Gunze Co., Ltd. will start selling the lightest hybrid shrink film “GEOPLAS (R) HCX1 type” from December 2023.
The product to be launched this time is the second product following Gunze’s environmentally friendly grade “GEOPLAS (R) HCT3″. It is the lightest* shrink film in Japan that is compatible with automatic labeling machines, and contains over 5% recycled materials using the mass balance method. In addition, the product’s functions are designed to be easy for everyone to use.
*As of December 1, 2023, based on our research in Japan. The lightest shrink film (25.3g/m2) compatible with automatic labeling machines. 1. background
The movement to move away from plastic is accelerating around the world, and it is also rapidly progressing in places around us, such as restaurants using paper straws and charging for plastic bags. In April last year, the “Act on Promotion of Plastic Resource Recycling, etc.” was enacted, and in response to issues such as plastic waste, climate change, and the tightening of waste import regulations in other countries, plastic resources are being used domestically. The importance of promoting circulation has increased. Businesses are also required to design products that use plastic based on the design guidelines for products that use plastic, and to suppress the discharge of waste from plastic products. In addition, consumers are required to reduce the amount of waste generated from plastic products, ensure thorough separation of waste, and promote the use of certified plastic products.
In response to the above-mentioned background, Gunze has started selling hybrid shrink film, which has achieved the lightest weight of shrink labels. This product is not only lightweight but also easy to use in the shrink label market, and is both environmentally friendly and functional.
In 2024, Gunze plans to transform the Moriyama Factory, which manufactures these products, into a resource recycling factory (Circular Factory*1) that uses natural energy to reduce CO2 emissions and produces zero emissions* with no plastic waste. We will transform into a factory that realizes 2. In this process, we will collect our own multi-layered films, establish disparate separation and recycling technology, and realize the commercialization of 100% recyclable raw materials.
Following HCX1 and HCT3, which use recycled raw materials, we aim to increase the input amount of recycled raw materials to 50% in 2024, and by 2030, by utilizing these technologies, we will be able to supply products with 100% recycled raw materials. To go.
*1 Circular Factory Products and raw materials that were discarded without being utilized within the conventional linear system of “Take,” “Make,” and “Waste.” A manufacturing factory system that regards resources as new resources and circulates them without producing waste.
*2 Zero emissions An initiative that aims to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills to zero by reusing waste generated by one industry in another industry.
[Image 1
Moriyama Circular Factory
2. About the new grade
[Table 2: ]
3. Product features
(1) Weight…The lightest hybrid shrink film
(2) Shrinkability: Good shrinkage finish. The maximum shrinkage rate is 70%, and it can also be used for irregularly shaped bottles. (3) Suitability for perforations: Good suitability for perforations, making it easy to peel off labels (can be peeled off along
perforations)
(4)Using recycled raw materials…Using 5% or more of chemically recycled raw materials using the mass balance method
-Shrinking finish image- Compatible with various bottles.
[Image 2
– Perforations – Similar to conventional hybrid shrink films, it has good perforation properties, making it easier to remove labels. [Image 3
(Left) HCX1 (Right) General label (tapering trend)
4. What is hybrid shrink film?
This film is made by laminating PS (polystyrene) material and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) material using Gunze’s proprietary heterogeneous lamination technology. By combining the features of both PS and PET, such as shrink finish, content resistance, rigidity, and perforation suitability, it is widely used globally as labels for PET bottle drinks, foods, cosmetics, toiletries, etc.
5. What is mass balance method?
The mass balance method is when a raw material with a certain characteristic is mixed with a raw material other than that (e.g. petroleum-derived raw material) in the process of processing and distributing raw materials into products. A method of assigning characteristics to parts of a product depending on the amount of input. Traceability is ensured by receiving certification from a third-party organization (ISCC).
*Gunze has already received ISCC certification in July 2023. Detailed explanation of mass balance method:
https://www.gunze.co.jp/plastic/detail/230
6. the next deployment
We will begin shipping samples to Japan in December 2023 and will establish a supply system.